[ad_1]
In the Indian temple at the center of a battle for gender equality, Hindu hard-line followers are in a good mood and succeed – so far – in their attempt to keep women out.
A Supreme Court decision to end the ban on "menstrual age" women between the ages of 10 and 50 years in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala provoked violent demonstrations on the roads leading to the site.
The traditionalists threatened women trying to reach the compound and clashed with police officers sent to enforce the court's decision.
But at the top of a hill, conservative Hindus are in a festive mood.
"You talk to anyone – men or women – who know the history of this temple and believe it," said pilgrim Rajesh P., one of the thousands of people lining up to climb the golden staircase of the sanctuary.
"I'm glad my daughter has the experience," he said, carrying the usual "irrumudi" offering made from coconut and clarified butter in a cloth bag placed on the head.
If the traditionalists succeed, his daughter will be banished from the temple in a few years, at the age of 10, unlike most other Hindu sites.
This reflects an old but still widespread belief – which is not exclusive to Hinduism – that women who have their period is unclean, and the belief that the Ayyappa deity, to whom the temple is dedicated, was single.
In rural and semi-urban areas of India's predominantly Hindu majority of 1.25 billion people, some women still have to sleep and eat separately when they have their period.
The ban on Sabarimala – one of the holiest sites of Hinduism – dates back several centuries, according to traditionalists, but was only formalized in 1991 by the High Court of Kerala.
However, last month, the Supreme Court of India, following other recent liberal decisions such as the legalization of gay sex, canceled the ban, calling it discriminatory.
"To treat women as children of a lower god, is to yield to the Constitution itself," said Judge D. Y. Chandrachud.
– Angry men –
The move enraged extremists, many of whom are supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling ruling Hindu Nationalist Party, BJP, and this week their anger was visible.
On Wednesday, as the temple was to open its monthly prayers for the first time since the judgment, groups, mostly men, stopped and inspected vehicles to make sure that they were safe. no woman of childbearing age was inside.
Despite the hundreds of extra police deployed to protect the faithful, even women journalists who were trying to report the events were not safe, crowds surrounding and smashing the windows of the cars of at least two women journalists.
A car containing three AFP correspondents, including a woman, was surrounded and men punched on the roof to ask him to return.
While the faithful were throwing stones and the police responded with accusations, the few women who wanted to go to the temple gave up the task.
– trek in the forest –
Their traditions were preserved for the time being and the atmosphere was happy on Thursday when the pilgrims – mostly men but also children of both sexes and older women – took the concrete path that leads to Sabarimala, a lush forest filled of monkeys.
The custom is that during the previous 41 days, pilgrims wishing to enter the Ayyappa Sanctuary must refrain from sexual intercourse and take the difficult route – even if a track facilitates the leg muscles – without shoes .
The elderly and infirm are allowed to use palanquins.
Devotees must refrain from consuming alcohol, tobacco and meat, while cutting their hair or shaving is also a taboo subject. They should also wear black, blue or saffron clothing and pray and wash regularly.
An atmosphere of festive fervor reigns over the entire path, with a steady stream of worshipers shouting aloud the same rhythmic songs in Ayyappa.
But the tensions around the court's decision were not far from the minds of the faithful.
"Everyone is angry and I do not need to hide it … We do not want any change.The traditions of our Ayyappa should not be altered," said AFP Sundaravadana, devotee without shirt, holding a "Save Sabarimala" black. flag.
"We have been here since our childhood and we understand the rich tradition that is hidden there," he said. "We will do all that is necessary to save our Sabarimala."
The Pilgims visiting the Sabarimala temple, where the tradition is that women of menstrual age are forbidden, carry ritual offerings of coconut and clarified butter on the head
There are eighteen gold steps leading to the shrine dedicated to the Hindu god Ayyapa in Sabarimala
Most of the faithful must walk to the sanctuary, but the elderly and infirm are allowed to use palanquins
The hardliners insist that women aged 10 to 50 are not allowed to visit the Sabarimala temple
